Music of Tha Moment: J-Storm

So, I don't usually do this shameless self-promotion thing, but in addition to blogging and being a poet, I also rap. I think I'm kinda good at it, too, but that's neither here nor there.

Long story short, I go by the name of J-Storm, and I represent We Are Legend Ent. Word on the street is, We Are Legend Ent. is dropping a mixtape THIS Friday, September 3, and J-Storm is dropping a mixtape NEXT Friday, September 10. Legend has it, that Chicago does a very poor job at supporting its artists, ESPECIALLY its rap artists. Let's break that cycle, shall we?

In addition to plugging my own music, I'll also be using this blog to plug the music of my peers who I feel deserve recognition for the music they make. Starting with my mans I.B. Fokuz (@ibfokuz) and his new video "I Got You". Go check it out, if the mood so fits.

But yeah, I'mma keep this short and sweet; the label's mixtape drops this Friday, the solo mixtape drops next Friday, and in the meantime, if you have the time, you can follow us on Twitter, @WeAreLegendEnt and @JStormThaTrufe, as well as "like" us on Facebook by searching We Are Legend Ent. and/or J-Storm. 'Til the next time, my fellow trufe seekers.

~Trufe

Video of Tha Moment: "Champagne Life"

So, peep game. I was watching 106 and Park earlier, trying not to fall asleep due to the fact that I be up WAY too late to be working a 9-to-5, and I caught view of the World Premier of Ne-Yo's new video, "Champagne Life".

As a big Ne-Yo fan myself, I been bumpin' the single on my iPod for about 2-3 weeks. The song itself is a hot song, and gettin' straight to the point, so is MOST of the video.

One thing I appreciate about Ne-Yo is the fact that he's a performer in what's becoming an industry full of strictly studio artists. So naturally, Ne-Yo does his thing with his usual crisp dance moves and fly ass suits, and the female dancers add that sexy aspect to the video without being raunchy and doing some ass-popping all up and down the pole. They usually be up in that place goin', pop pop pop, pop pop pop.

Sorry, got off subject.

Anywho, there is one MAJOR gripe I had with the video: what in the BLUE HELL was the point of all that ish that happened in the first three and a half minutes of the video?! It starts off with Ne-Yo and Columbus Short, both portraying supernatural characters of some sort in the back of a Maybach, talking about some shit that happened in the not-too-distant past. What they were talking about, I'm not too sure of, thanks to Short's Morpheus-like accent. Then, the scene shifts to four years earlier, and shows Ne-Yo as a garbage man along with two other garbage men meeting with Short's character under a bridge somewhere, where Short tells them how to use some undisclosed powers which they gained in an undisclosed manner. Short gives them three rules, the last of which being not to fall in love. THEN, the scene shifts to one year later (and I'm sure some people will be confused as to whether it meant one year after the four-year flashback [which it does] or one year after the initial scene), and the actual music video begins.

Um... wtf?

I'm glad Ne-Yo would like to do more acting, I'm just not sure why he chose to act out THAT scene in THIS video. I'm not sure why I just explained all of that, when you yourselves can just watch all of that below, but hey, Ne-Yo shows us with this video that sometimes, we just do shit. Enjoy.

And if you're reading this via Facebook, or if for some reason, the page cuts off half of the embedded video (like it does on my screen), just click this link, and watch the ish on YouTube. Enjizzoy!

Hehe, I said "jizz".

~Trufe

When Will "With Liberty and Justice for All" Actually Mean Something In This Country?

I couldn't only blog about LeBron on what will hopefully one day be an important day in American history. So, if y'all been under a rock lately, been too caught up in the LeBron hooplah, or somehow didn't notice my header on my last post (if all three of those things happened to you, God help you), allow me to restate. Oscar Grant was an innocent, unarmed, and prostrate (not prostate, prostrate, young'ns. It means submissively prone. Grant, specifically, was face down and handcuffed) man, killed on New Year's day 2009 following an incident on a packed train coming from San Francisco to Oakland. He was apparently "resisting arrest, and was subsequently shot in the back and killed.

Keep in mind, the shit was caught on tape via cell phone by a passenger on the train who chose to not be identified. Now, one would assume that with such outstanding evidence, the officer, Johannes Mehserle would be immediately charged with murder, right? Only in a perfect world, my fellow trufe seekers. Not only did the trail and sentencing take over a year to complete, but the killer was found guilty for involuntary manslaughter. It may be just me, but I fail to see the involuntary-ness in this situation. Grant was unarmed, face down and handcuffed. Officer Mehserle had a gun in his hand, and voluntarily pulled the trigger. Grant was MURDERED. INTENTIONALLY. ON CAMERA.

Remember how the sentencing for the beating of Rodney King sparked riots in Watts back in 1992? Anybody else feel history getting ready to repeat himself sometime soon? And as long as justice continues to be absent from this country, shit like this will continue to happen. Sad day to be an American. Sad, sad day.

~Trufe

The Post About LeBron James (Insert More Clever Title Here)

Allow me to begin this post by paying my respects to Oscar Grant, who was killed New Years day 2009 by an Oakland police officer. Grant was unarmed. His killer was charged with involuntary manslaughter earlier today. When will "with liberty and justice for all" actually mean something in this country?

As a loyal Chicago Bulls fan, who is still tryna adjust to twelve years of non-championship basketball after experiencing six years of it, lemme just say I'm mad as hell right now.

Not because LeBron James signing with the Miami Heat means at the very least a thirteenth year of non-championship basketball for my Bulls. Not because LeBron signing with Miami means Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers will most likely not be dethroned as the reigning NBA champions. But moreso because as a LeBron fan, it seems like he doesn't WANT to win.

I personally feel that the Chicago Bulls were the best option for LeBron James; y'kno, if he wants to win a championship RIGHT NOW. If that's not what he wants, and he wants to play for a city where he can play with another superstar and party every weekend, I understand. But, let's look at the squads. Miami has Michael Beasley, the #2 pick in the 2008 NBA draft (#1 was Chicago's Derrick Rose). The young man has talent, but let's be real, he hasn't had the impact people expected just yet. He hasn't even had the impact D-Rose has had so far, and with Chris Bosh coming to town, this will likely mean Beasley going back to the bench, unless they have CB4 playing the 5 (that's center, for those of you who ain't up on your b-ball lingo). Mario Chalmers will be the Ron Harper of this team. All that means is he's the point guard who will rarely have the ball; which, if you know basketball, is oxymoronic. And does that team even have a bench?

The Bulls on the other hand, have what it takes to win a championship RIGHT NOW. After only two seasons, Derrick Rose is already talked about as one of the best point guards and team leaders in the NBA; right up there with Rajon Rondo, Deron Williams, and Chris Paul. Joakim Noah is a tremendous rebounder, but the most valuable trait he brings to the game is his energy; you can't coach that. He also knows how to win, winning two straight NCAA championships with the Florida Gators. You can't coach that, either. Also, with young players like Taj Gibson and Luol Deng (hopefully he gets his head outta his ass soon and plays ball like he did a couple of years ago), and of course the acquisition of two-time All-Star Carlos Boozer (who wrecked shop in Utah along with Deron Williams), the Bulls have the supporting cast to allow 'Bron to win his first title RIGHT NOW. Quite honestly, why he signed with Miami, especially after their starting center Jermaine O'Neal signed with the Boston Celtics, baffles me at this point.

Putting the focus back on LeBron, for the past couple of years, everybody has been debating on who's better between Kobe and LeBron. I think from a talent standpoint, LeBron takes it hands down; he's just a better athlete. But at the end of the day, this game is about WINNING, and that's what Kobe has been doing over the course of his career, which is (sadly) why he wins this debate as of right now. And because of that, I personally don't think if Kobe was placed in LeBron's shoes, he would have signed with Miami. LeBron needs to win the 2011 title, and Miami doesn't look to be the best team for him to do that. With Kobe's age starting to show, he'll be too old for anyone to even care about this debate in the next couple of years and by that time, Kobe will have taken it; second three-peat or no second three-peat.

I'm not saying I'm a Kobe fan by any stretch of imagination, but the man only focuses on one thing; winning. At the end of the day, LeBron is still the better athlete, I won't ever deny that, but I believe Kobe would've made the choice that would put him in the best position to win a championship RIGHT NOW. I don't think many people feel LeBron did that tonight.

I'm not tryna jump down his throat for doing what HE wanted to do, I'm just sayin'. Not that it matters, but LeBron let a lotta Chicagoans, New Yorkers, and lastly, people who wanna see him win a championship RIGHT NOW (and dethrone Kobe while doing so) down. That is all.

~Trufe

Song of tha Moment

So, long, long ago, tha "Song of the Moment" used to be a widget on the side of this here page. But ever since Imeem was bought by MySpace (remember that site?), I've been struggling to find a website that will allow me to easily embed songs to my profile, and as of late, I ain't even been trying. I still wanna give my fellow Trufe seekers a taste of what I listen to, though, because I'm arrogant like that, and not only think that people actually care about what I listen to, but actually should listen to it as well. Which explains this post, and any in the future that will be like it.

So, in my last post, I said that "Take Care of Me" by The-Dream from his latest album, Love King, was one of THE best songs he's ever created thus far. That, like most of my album reviews, was stated after only listening to the selected album or song only once. But, after listening to "Take Care of Me" REPEATEDLY over this last week, I'd like to change that statement. It's not one of the best songs The-Dream has ever created. It's THE best song he's created so far in his career. Not only is it as close to masterfully composed as you're gonna get in today's music industry, it's outta the ordinary for ANY of today's artists, ESPECIALLY The-Dream. No snaps, no "AYYYYY!"s, no talk about sex, no unnecessary cuss words, just great, great music. That is all. Enjoy.

~Trufe

Hood Reviews: Love King

So, I recently realized I like reading my old blog posts before I post a new one. Fuck y'all, don't judge me.
I peeped two other posts, one speaking about my anticipation for The-Dream's sophomore album, Love vs. Money, and the journey it took to get me to become a fan of his, and one was the actual short review of the album. If you ain't never peeped either of those, long story short, I'm an actual Dream fan. I think I did a good job of not letting my being a huge fan of Eminem sway my review of Recovery, and I'll try this time as well.
So, The-Dream's first two albums, Love Hate, and Love vs. Money were both met with generally positive critical reviews, a rarity for urban music nowadays. The third installment to the Love saga, Love King was met with slightly less positive, but still positive reviews. I credit that to the repetitiveness of The-Dream's music so far. As a fan, I hate to admit it, but Love King ain't nothing anyone who's heard the first two albums ain't already heard. It's just, in my opinion, better.
I personally feel like, as an artist, if you gone insist on making music on the same topics repeatedly, the least you can do is do it better than you did the last time. The-Dream does that on this album. There are a few exceptions where The-Dream hits new topics of course, such as "Make Up Bag (featuring T.I.)", which focuses on how having money can save a relationship (kids, don't try that at home, especially if you broke), and "Nikki Part 2" and "Florida University", which are spiteful songs toward an ex (Florida University is code for "fuck you", hence the repetition of "FU" over the hook). Besides that, the make-up of the album is the same; club song, sex song(s), love song, Prince-inspired song, and an abundance of smooth transitions from track to track in some areas.
Love King also comes as a Deluxe Version, featuring six more tracks. I personally feel the perfect length for an album is 14-16 songs, especially for R&B, so the 18 tracks is a bit much for me, but hey, in the words of Gucci Mane, I "got a real short attention span. GUCCI!" That does not mean the extra tracks aren't good, though; I feel "Take Care of Me" is one of THE best tracks The American Dream has made thus far.
Overall, like I said, you won't find anything you haven't heard from The-Dream before with this album. He just finds better ways to carry out the same formula, so, it's still great music you should prolly give a listen to. Notable tracks: "Sex Intelligent", "Sex Intelligent Remix", "Yamaha", "Turnt Out", and "Take Care of Me" if you listenin' to the Deluxe Version. Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5.
~Trufe

BET Does It Again, Again

So, if you're a loyal Trufe Seeker, you'll recall my post reviewing last year's BET Awards, where I started by saying I'm not a huge fan of BET programming due to Viacom's ownership of the station, its overabundance of reality TV shows (like, LisaRaye has one? I love her, but she ain't done shit since The Player's Club) and its exploitative shows (see Tiny and Toya). I ain't gone stunt though, I fux with College Hill, and The Game, but besides those two shows, that remains the same. But, as usual, I tuned in to the annual BET Awards as it celebrated its 10th anniversary, and for the second year in a row, I was pleased.

One thing I can appreciate about BET is the fact that they remain loyal to Black artists, even when others don't. Remember how SNL threw Kanye under the bus due to the Taylor Swift shit at the VMAs last year? Well, BET followed that up by letting Kanye open the show with his current single, "Power". The show was hosted by Queen Latifah, fresh off her performance in Just Wright (which also got reviewed earlier this month), who didn't win me over with her attempts at being funny through her costume changes paying homage to the roles she's played in past films (sorry it ain't no link for that, Idk how to find all them shits), but at least that was preceded by her somewhat humorous intro and lyrically surprising verse to "Forever" by Drake nem.

I know this show is called the BET Awards, but I think most of the slander this award show faces is based on the fact that the actual awards given out are not even the focal point of the show. A BET Award is not as prestigious as a Grammy, or even an MTV Award for that matter, and that fact is exemplified when artists like Nicki Minaj win awards just for showing up. Let's keep it 100, why is a BET Award for Best Female Hip-Hop Artist even in existence at this point in mainstream rap music? Missy Elliot has won it FIVE times, last year there were only three nominees (Trina, Lil Mama, and the winner M.I.A.), and in 2007, it wasn't even a category. This year, Nicki won it in what has to be assumed as a landslide against current rival Lil Kim, Trina, Rasheeda, and Ester Dean. Um... what? Trina's the only nominee who dropped an album this year (the rarely-mentioned, horribly promoted Amazin' in May), but her last single from that album dropped in January. Ester Dean's only single, "Drop it Low" was part of a soundtrack and not even her own project, Lil Kim has been dancin' with the stars more than she's been in a studio, and Rasheeda's biggest song ("Got That Good (Bubble Gum)") was released in TWO-THOUSAND-SIX. Not to mention, its biggest recognition probably came in 2009's Paul Blart: Mall Cop as a ringtone.

I think besides the fact that it showcases Black entertainers in the spotlight, what makes the BET Awards enjoyable is the performances, and most of them did not disappoint. T.I. did his thing with his performance of "Yeah Ya Know (Takers)"; B.o.B. did a rendition of "Airplanes" with Keyshia Cole replacing Hayley Williams on the hook (which was quite enjoyable, if I do say so myself); which transitioned into Eminem performing "Not Afraid", which I'm sure will be a bigger, better performance at the MTV Awards or the VMAs later this year; Diddy-Dirty Money performed as only a Diddy-led group can; Monica brought out Deniece Williams to spice up an average performance of Monica's single "Everything to Me", which samples Williams' "Silly"; and Drake gave the same average performance he always gives, featuring hand movements that looked like he was "fingering the air", as Michelle Rashad so eloquently put it.

El DeBarge gave two random, yet amazing performances; J. Cole got cut off during his verse to Jay-Z's "A Star is Born" for some reason; Alicia Keys was all over the place, pregnant and all; Tyrese performed a tribute to the late Teddy Pendergrass and Trey Songz (in addition to his Best Male R&B Award) performed a tribute to Prince, and I'm sure both were much to the delight of skeezas all over the country; and of course BET had it's usual gospel performance, complete with Kirk Franklin, Marvin Sapp, Fred Hammond, Karen Clark Sheard, Kim Burrell, and Yolanda Adams. But of course, the best performance of the night, if you haven't heard, obviously goes to Chris Brown and his tribute to Michael Jackson. Chris's dancing was nearly identical to Mike's, and he even broke into tears while trying to sing "Man in the Mirror", which I personally feel was half heartfelt, half a smart move on the behalf of Chris's image consultant, but hey, I just think like that.

The night was capped with DJ Khaled's remix of "All I Do Is Win", which, like most rap remixes, features nearly every active mainstream rapper you can think of. Busta Rhymes was RIDICULOUS on that song, but for some reason, today's "fans" listen to and support bad lyrics, yet label actual talent bad if a rapper, such as Busta is rappin' too fast for their Lil B-adjusted ears to keep up with. Go figure. Prince was also honored as the year's Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, yet, unlike most recipients, did not perform himself. Instead, he let newcomer Janelle Monae, Alicia Keys, some other lady, and R&B legend Patti LaBelle (who kicked off her shoes while sangin', now THAT'S soul, youngstas) hold him down.

The BET Awards was not without its usual mishaps, though. Was it just me, or did not all the awards actually be presented on screen? The Terence J and Rocsi kiss did not provide as much shock value as I think BET anticipated; I for one thought they had been bonin' for a minute anyway. Anthony Anderson provided some of the only non-performance entertainment with his consistent references to El DeBarge representing for the "light-skinned, wavy bruthas" with the short time he had, and Mike Epps provided a few chuckles with his 90s-oriented outfit the first time he presented. Jay-Z, Beyonce, and Rihanna were nowhere to be found, and one has to assume it's because of BET's decision to let Chris perform. I hope they realized how much no one really missed their presence. Seriously, y'all, people make mistakes. Get over it. All in all, I think it was a good night for BET, and the Black entertainers it chooses to honor every year. I will, however, go back to keeping my dial away from channel 61, unless The Game is on. Here are some of the winners:

Best Female R&B: Alicia Keys

Best Male R&B: Trey Songz

Best Gospel Artist: Marvin Sapp

Best Group: Young Money

Best New Artist: Nicki Minaj

Best Collaboration: Jay-Z and Alicia Keys for "Empire State of Mind"

Video of the Year: Beyonce and Lady Gaga for "Video Phone"

Viewer's Choice: Rihanna and Young Jeezy - "Hard"

Actor of the Year: Mo'Nique

Lifetime Achievement: Prince

Humanitarian of the Year: John Legend

~Trufe

Full Recovery?

Aight, so I don't think it's a secret I'm a HUGE Eminem fan. I wouldn't really say a die-hard fan, cuz some folk is crazy over these celebrities they worship and I don't wanna be in that category, but it's safe to say that the same way most men in urban areas have faith in Lil Wayne being the best and their rapper alive, I have that same faith, if not more, in Eminem.

Ironically, though, with his 6th major LP, Recovery getting leaked roughly a week ago, I read more than a few reviews of Eminem's latest album, and with the tracks I had heard (mostly just "Not Afraid" and "No Love"), I somehow led myself to believe I would dislike this album. All of that went out the window as soon as I heard the first track.

So, gettin' straight to the point, if you just started really listening to rap (which I truly believe most of these listeners have), you probably missed the last decade, where Slim Shady sold more records than any music artist in the world, despite a five-year gap between his last two albums of the decade (2004's Encore and last year's Relapse). You prolly also missed his infamous struggle with drugs which explains the hiatus. I say that to say this, at the second track of the album, "Talkin' to Myself", Em says, "I'm back". From the standpoint of a dedicated fan, I'm not sure I believe that.

The entire album feels forced. Sure, he's regained his passion for music, and sounds as if he actually listened to this album before releasing it (unlike Encore, and to a lesser extent, Relapse), but one thing that struck me as odd is that Em is rapping as if he has something to prove. This is the main difference between this album, and his first three, The Slim Shady LP, The Marshall Mathers LP, and The Eminem Show, all of which saw huge commercial and critical success. He didn't have to try on those albums; he just did him, and it worked to perfection. It seems as if he's been listening to the critics as of late, with lines such as, "them last two albums didn't count/ Encore I was on drugs, Relapse I was flushin' 'em out" ("Talkin' to Myself"), and went into the studio this time around with a chip on his shoulder. Eminem is probably the most controversial rapper since 2Pac. But in the past when faced with controversy and facing critics, he simply went into the studio and lyrically and blatantly made a mockery of every obstacle in his way, much to the delight of consumers. Recovery submits to the demands of people like Nick Cannon who called Relapse "a mediocre (at best) Eminem record that sounds like it was written in 2001" and shows a somewhat desperate Em experiment with a pop-oriented sound, much more commercial-sounding than his previous albums.

The production of the album is excellent in my opinion, though, when compared to most of today's rap albums. Em ventures away from strictly using beats from Dr. Dre and himself, and employs producers such as Boi-1da, Jim Jonsin, and Just Blaze (remember that guy? From back when Roc-a-Fella was hot?) who equally provide sick beats that would excite most rappers. The bad thing to that, though, is that the such different sounds can make an album sound inconsistent without proper transitions, which Recovery lacks. I personally don't think a song like "W.T.P." (short for White Trash Party), a rare party song from Em should be followed by a track such as "Going Through Changes", probably the most personal song on the album. But hey, that's just me.

Unlike most mainstream rappers, Eminem has never been one to rely on guest appearances to carry an album, especially not from artists such as P!nk, Lil Wayne (whom he says he came close to dissing out of pure jealousy on "Talkin' to Myself"), or Rihanna. Aaaand yet, those are three of the four guests featured on the album; the fourth being some singer named Kobe (not the knock-off Michael Jordan, thankfully). That backs my claim that Em appears to actually be trying to impress opponents with this album, as opposed to just being himself and being the best as he did in the past.

When it comes down the actual lyrics, Em's tries out the new norm in today's rap game, and tries to implement punchlines into his style. He doesn't use the run-of-the-mill, simile-based punchlines, though (which everyone refers to as metaphors for some reason, go figure), or even what I deem the Young Money punchlines (a simile-based punchline missing the word "like" or any such phrase; i.e. "it's goin' down; basement" as opposed to "it's goin' down [like a] basement"), but rather emphasizes the cleverness of comparing two unlike things with lines such as "need I remind you/ that I don't need the fuckin' Swine Flu/ to be a sick pig?" ("Won't Back Down" feat. P!nk) Some critics have been complaining that Em gets too "singy-songy" on most of his hooks. I agree with that, but compared to most other rap hooks, which usually just repeat a particular catchy phrase till it's stuck in your head for 82 weeks (see "Pretty Boy Swag"), I'll gladly take the singy-song hooks that keep me interested, while carrying the song as opposed to filling the space between verses.

All in all, I think Eminem set out to make an album that disproves naysayers, and regains the trust and happiness of his long-time supporters, as well as gain some of rap's newer ears who may have clung to rappers such as Wayne and Drake in Em's absence. I think this album definitely does that, and will definitely be one of the more lucrative albums released this year. Does that make it a GOOD album? Arguable. Is it Eminem's best album (as I've heard some fans prematurely claim)? Not at all. But it's more tolerable than Encore as well as Relapse, and that shows something at least. I'm not sure what that something is, but Recovery shows it.

In closing, Eminem at his worst is probably still sicker than your favorite rapper. While I don't feel he's at his best on this album, he's at the best Em fans have seen him since the Show, and better than most fans have probably ever seen him. Overall rating: 4 out of 5.

~Trufe

What Are We Thanking You For Again...?

Ok, I confess. It's obvious from the title that this post is Tha Trufe's review of Drake's debut album, Thank Me Later, but I only titled this post the way I did to attract readers. And I say that because I feel the title of this post implies that I disliked Drake's debut album, which is not completely the case. So with that outta the way, lemme start with the actual review.

So, gettin' straight to the point, I'm not a HUGE Drake fan, but that's primarily due to me being a HUGE opponent of Lil Wayne. Drake's music is actually enjoyable to a certain extent. With Thank Me Later, Drake pushes that certain extent to the limit, and sadly, I feel he crossed it.

In Layman's terms, most of the material on Thank Me Later sounds nearly identical to most of the material on his last, and most famous mixtape, So Far Gone. Hell, the first three tracks, "Fireworks", "Karaoke", and "The Resistance" all sound as if most listeners wouldn't know the difference between them if they were a capella.

I'm sure everyone knows by now, that compared to his life as Jimmy from Degrassi, Aubrey Graham is having a hard time adjusting to life in the fast lane as Drake. Add to that, his fame has been keeping him from contacting his loved ones as much as he'd like, and when he's not reminiscing over his many ex-girlfriends, he's partying with the niggas he would die for; i.e. his Young Money labelmates and affiliates. How do we all know that, you ask? Maybe because EVERY song he makes talks about one of these topics. I, for one, did expect his debut album to go places his mixtapes didn't, but I guess Drake went for the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" formula. I'm not sure how many different ways you can talk about the same shit, but it appears as if Drake is focused on showing us. After all, he IS labelmates with Wayne; and he's the master of finding different ways to talk about the same nothing.

The album is not all bad, though. It's rare that the first single of an album is a track that doesn't get skipped over when listening to the entire album, but "Over" is one of the best songs on the album. Take of that what you will. I find it crazy how much the end of the second verse of "Over" sounds so similar to the end of the second verse of the very next track, "Show Me a Good Time" ("It's about time you admit it, who you kiddin'?/ Man nobody's ever done it how I did it, ahh!" in comparison to, "Call me overrated or created or too jaded/ because anyway you put it, bitch I made it, YEUUH!"), but I digress.

The album picks up a head of steam at "Up All Night" with Nicki Minaj, a track that while very anticipated (a punch-line filled, bass-heavy track with a feature from a Young Money artist) still sounds nice enough to draw the attention of rap fans and trap fans alike. "Fancy" with Swizz Beatz and T.I. is the one unpredicted track on the album, due to the features and the tempo. The topic of the song (fly, independent women) has been done by Drake time and time again, however, and The-Dream's take on the topic, which strangely has the same exact title, came out a year before.

Speaking of The-Dream, he's featured on the next track, "Shut it Down", which feels pretty much like "Fancy" (Drake's version) set to a slower, sexier tempo, very reminiscent of "Houstatlantavegas". I also feels as if it should've ended at the 5:09 mark, where it teases us as if it will end before starting back up, signifying an in-track change in scenery, from the club to the crib. "Unforgettable" with Jeezy feels like a track just added to fill out the album, and the "At Your Best (You Are Love" by Aaliyah sample just bedazzles me.

The only difference between "Light Up" and "Miss Me" is that one features Jay-Z (who KILLED his verse), and one features Wayne respectively, and that they obviously have a different beat and hook. "Cece's Interlude" is yet another track dedicated to an ex (how many women has this dude dated?!), with whom Drake wishes things ended better, and I don't understand why "Find Your Love" was selected as the second single over tracks like "Fancy" and "Shut it Down", which sound much better, and more radio-oriented. For a description on the last track, "Thank Me Now", see any of the above.

In closing, this is not a collection of BAD music. Just music I'm personally tired of hearing from the same artist. I mean, the worst part about having a "buzz so big [you] can prolly sell a blank disc" is that when you put the same sounding music on your album as you did on your mixtape, EVERYONE effected by that buzz will notice. I, for one, don't think this album is indicative of what to expect over Drake's career, though. I get the feeling that right now, Drake is just tying up loose ends as far as his music is concerned; it really doesn't feel like he's making music for HIM. But instead, for his exes, his family, and the mainstream audience. I'll give him more time before I pass judgement on him as an artist, but I really don't feel we are getting all we can out of this talented young man. The sky is the limit, and I think it will only get better from here. Overall rating: 3.5 out of 5.

~Trufe

Facebook V. Twitter

Aight, so, if you're a loyal Trufe Seeker, you might recall a post from last November entitled "Who's Real? Who's Fake?", which mainly focused on how nowadays, it seems that people rely on social-networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter to portray an image of someone not truly reflective of the person they really are. In that post, I mentioned, and I quote, "I really think that most people are only on Facebook becuz the current social networking site trend is 'MySpace is lame, Facebook is where it's at', or something along those lines." Well, folks, inevitably, the time is upon us that the current social networking site trend is "Facebook is lame, Twitter is where it's at." And I knew it would happen.
Lemme get straight to the point, I feel that Twitter is "the dumbest shit ever created", going back to the aforementioned post. I once read a post on Twitter that was somewhere along the lines of "most of the people dissin' Twitter are the people who have no followers", and I won't bullshit cha, I am amongst that bunch. But, I for one am proud of my 41 followers, gat dammit. So tell me, Mr. or Mrs. anyonymous know-it-all-Tweeter, how does one gain a lotta followers? Cuz from what I see, you either have to be a celebrity, have a pic or pics showing more skin than should be allowed on the internet, or have no problem with being "publically" ignorant every 5 minutes. Save for the first option, I'll pass on that.
But, my lack of followers and my cluelessness on how to gain followers is NOT the reason I dislike Twitter. I dislike it because after months of giving it a chance, I still fail to see its purpose. I mean, who really needs to know (or cares) what someone is doing by the minute? Why are people interested in having a play-by-play of someone else's life? And the trending topics are the worst. Just last week, I just so happened to be checking my Twitter and the #1 TT at the time was #ThingsBlackPeopleDo. Like, for real? A trending topic like that has the potential to get ignorant faster than black men run away from fatherhood. <--- See that shit? THAT'S the type of ignorance that reigns supreme on Twitter. But no worries, I could get away with displaying my ignorance as long as I put #ThingsBlackPeopleDo before or after a prejudiced quip like that.
In my opinion, the title of this post is inaccurate; I fail to understand how people can truly compare Facebook to Twitter. It's really an apple and oranges debate, if you think about it (but I get the strange feeling most Tweeters don't think a lot, if at all). I mean, Facebook is a website which, to my knowledge, exists for the purpose of keeping connections intact, as well as reuniting with people from your past, such as people you went to high school with, former co-workers, etc. And Twitter is a website which... well, I still haven't figured out its purpose. So, if you're one of those people who don't keep it real via your Facebook, and merely have one because it was the trend at the time, or you just use it as a source of entertainment, I can understand why you choose to run to Twitter for the obvious reasons. But, if you actually use Facebook for what it was made for; to keep in touch with people when text messages and phone calls get old, you're probably in the same boat as me in this debate.
So, that's that, I guess. I for one, log into my Facebook every single day. With text messaging virtually making phone conversations obsolete, and me not having 1,076 phone numbers in my phone as I have that same amount of friends on Facebook, I still use Facebook as a tool of communication as opposed to entertainment. Even when I feel the need to be entertained through the computer screen, I don't rely on the ignorance that runs amuck on Twitter to be that entertainment. That's what YouTube as well as game websites are for. I also prefer being labeled a "friend" as opposed to a "follower", but with most people on Twitter merely using it due to following a trend anyway, I'm sure the latter title presents no problem with them.
To close, I still think people need to find the courage to be themselves and make their own choices, on and off the internet. Because as long as people lack that courage, I'm pretty sure Twitter, too will be old news in maybe a year and a half, tops. And I leave you with the same question I asked at the end of the "Who's Real? Who's Fake?" post: when will we be comfortable enough with ourselves to BE ourselves? #ThatIsAll.
Follow me, @MrOneTake, you mindless human!!
~Trufe

Hood Reviews: Just Wright

I know my typing skills contradict the title of Hood Reviews, but fuck y'all. Just 'cause you from the hood don't mean you gotta be ig'nant and can't be articulate. With that said...

!!! SPOILER ALERT !!! I TELL WHAT HAPPENS IN THE MOVIE !!! IF YOU AIN'T SEEN, BUT PLAN ON SEEING IT IT, WHY DID YOU READ ANYTHING AFTER "SPOILER ALERT"? !!!

Aight, so, I know it's been a long time, but hey, who needs details? I'm lazy.
Anyhoo, I got the chance to check out the new Common and Queen Latifah movie, Just Wright like, 10 minutes ago, and to keep it short and simple, it "was like bad sex with great foreplay". Shouts to Phoenix Andre Clouden for the quote.
Yeah, I post links to my Facebook friends, so what? Back to the movie. What I mean with the bad sex, great foreplay quote is that the commercials for this movie REALLY made me wanna see it. Then when I actually saw it via one of the finest bootlegs I've ever laid my eyes on (holla at the man in front of the Wal-Mart on North Ave.) the quality of the bootleg impressed me more than the actual movie.
As I watched, I kept feeling like I had seen and/or heard the story of the damsel in distress (Leslie Wright, played by Queen Latifah), who gets her Prince Charming (Scott McKnight, played by Common), despite her evil step-sisters (just one in this case, Morgan Alexander, played by Paula Patton). Oh yeah, I have! In nearly every fairy tale ever written! This movie merely substitutes the pumpkin carriage, the glass slipper, and the dance with the Prince at the ball for an old Mustang with a dented door, a "fixer-upper" of a house, and a superstar basketball player.
From the perspective of an avid basketball fan, I don't even know where to begin with the flaws this movie has. First of all, McKnight plays for the New Jersey Nets, who miraculously advance to the playoffs without their star player, though he manages to come back just in time to push them to the NBA Finals. That scenario is laughable, seeing as how the Nets are, literally, THE worst team in basketball (they finished with 12 wins and 70 losses this past season), but I won't hold the movie at fault for that since you can't predict the team about which you're about to film a movie losing 70 games as the movie premiers.
But, why did the team have to fare without their star player, you ask? Easy. He tore his PCL while attempting a spin move in the All-Star Game. For those who don't know, a PCL is a ligament in your knee, and while torn knee ligaments are somewhat commonplace in professional sports, they RARELY happen without force being delivered to the knee. That's almost as unbelievable as tearing your ACL coming down from a dunk. I'm referring to Love & Basketball, when that happened to Omar Epps, not the actual injury occurring to NBA player Shaun Livingston; THAT was genuinely disgusting.
Anyhow, there are a lot more basketball movie no-nos this movie committed, but I won't get too deeply into that. The acting job from Common is what one should expect from a rap star as opposed to an actual actor. Take that as you will. Hey, Queen Latifah got famous through rapping too, right? Take that as you will as well. Paula Patton does a great job as a gold-digging skeeza who successfully plots to capture Scott and pretend to genuinely love him to better herself, leaves as soon as he gets injured and is at risk of being cut from the Nets (as if that's a punishment), yet, comes back around after he's rejuvenated by Leslie, but to no avail. My only questions are, what is she doing during the scenes when Leslie and Scott get all lovey-dovey? And she obviously gets her comeuppance and realizes that being a gold-digging skeeza ain't all it's cracked up to be, but WHEN? Neither of those points are touched on in the film, and it left me disappointed. I'd really like to know what possesses skeezas to skeez, and what inspires them to walk away from the skeeza game altogether, but hey, that's just me.
The movie had a good message, though. It inspires one to use their heart and not their eyes when searching for a significant other, and tells all the young ballers with hoop dreams that if you spot a beautiful woman who goes outta her way to make it seem like she doesn't wanna date you for the money, she's probably a gold-digging skeeza lying through her teeth. But if you meet a woman who only offers inner beauty to most (I personally think Queen Latifah is beautiful physically as well), yet you can have a good time and have a genuine connection with her, she's probably a keeper. I agree with the point of the movie, personally, but that's a different blog for a different day.
In closing, if you're a fan of sweet and sappy love stories, you'd like to seen a modern update of the classic Cinderella story, or you're like me and just tend to love movies that are poorly received (ay, Kazaam is my shit! Fuck y'all, don't judge me), you should see this film at one point in time. If you watch movies based solely on critical reviews, go fly a kite, or whatever it is you people do.
~Trufe